Epilogue
by HattressOfWonderland
Summary: How did Madeline Hatter escape from the Underlands of Wonderland? Originally posted on my Tumblr account, 'wonderunderwonderland'. Super short "chapters".
1. Chapter 1

They had shattered the Looking Glass.

Standing outside the citadel, Madeline's dark eyes looked over the vast expanse of shattered glass, past the signs of struggle from where the three idiots who dared to stand against her had been taken prisoner. Bending down, she picked up one of the larger pieces, staring at Alice in her reflection.

"Find her. Find her! And clean this up!"

Pocketing the shard of glass, Madeline stormed back inside the citadel to check on her other little...guest.


	2. Chapter 2

It had all been for naught. Everything she had done had fallen apart, the one person she had trust had betrayed her, and she was going to die the same way she had planned those who went against her.

Perhaps worse than all that was that Alice pitied her.

"Hatter, you don't have to be alone! Come home to me..." Alice practically begged, the Queen and her little White Knight watching curious for her reaction.

"..._yes_. Yes, Alice, I want that. Take my hand?" She had been patient up to this point, just a little longer and she would have her goal within her reach. Offering her hand out, Alice touched her reflection for the first time.

And in a heartbeat, her back was pressed tightly against the Hatter, a knife held at her throat, "If I have to live in eternal torment, so must you! We'll be together forever..."

She would have laughed, but a shout from behind distracted her just long enough for the White Knight to valiantly surge forth, knocking Alice from her arms. The next was a blur of smoke, pain, and screaming.

"I damn your soul!"


	3. Chapter 3

Falling.

They were falling so fast that the Hatter couldn't open her eyes for longer than a second, the sound little more that howling in her ears. Her hair shot staight up, the bustle of her jacket beating against her skin. The wind felt as though it would strip the flesh off their bones if they continued this way.

Glancing down, through painful tears, Madeline saw no end to this hell in sight.

"**_Jack_**!" She screamed, barely able to hear her own voice. She just prayed it had actually left her lips, instead of the silence she felt. After a moment, she heard a shout, something akin to her name, and held out her hand in that direction.

A strong hand clamped around her own, and she pulled him close enough that she could feel the warmth of another human being, something she knew didn't happen to many who were banished to this place.

"I think-" She screamed again, feeling the crack as her voice threatened to fail her, "-that I can get us out of here!"  
"Why should I trust you? Why would _anyone_ trust you?" She faintly heard his voice, despite how close they were.

"Because if this works, then you can go back to your dear little Alice!" Her voice did crack this time on the name, pain surging through her chest. She had lost. It was finally settling in, the lows of defeat. She would be nothing more than a reflection, even if this did work.

But a reflection was better than a memory.

Digging into the pocket of her coat, she blindly pulled out the piece of glass she'd earlier tucked away. The edges were sharp in her hand, and she opened her eyes just long enough to see Jack's disbelieving stare.

"A piece of _glass_? That's how you're getting us out of here?"  
"A piece of the Looking Glass that you and your little friends shattered! It's a gateway! If I can get us through it, we can get out of here."

Of course, there was no predicting where they'd end up, but that was another worry all together.  
"I need you to trust me! For two bloody seconds, trust me!"  
The two met gazes for only a moment before Jack gave a nod. "I trust that you want to get back just as badly as I do."  
".._.Good enough_." The Hatter exhaled, certain Jack hadn't heard her. Had she really wanted him to?

Taking his hand firmly in hers, she threw the mirror down below them, shut her eyes, and simply hoped-


	4. Chapter 4

The glass of the foyer's mirror shattered as the two came bursting through, collapsing onto the floor in a breathless heap.

Madeline landed on her back, hitting her head as she stared, dazed, upwards at the ceiling for a long moment. Glass was in her hair, covering her body, surrounding them on the floor.

Them. _Jack_.

Turning her head as much as she could, the Hatter saw the White Knight beside her, breathing deeply. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that she hadn't managed to kill him.

For the moment, she chose relief.

As the ringing in her ears began to subside, she could hear just how badly her breathing sounded, coming out it weak, shaken pants. It took enough energy to pull one person through an appropriately sized mirror. Pulling two through something equivalent to a pocket mirror was nearly impossible.

A long moment of silence passed in the hall, before she heard scraping sound, glass against tile. Opening her eyes once again, she saw the knight standing, looking down at her. She could feel the warm sensation of blood trickling down her head, but she couldn't move her hand to find it. She couldn't _move_.

She couldn't move, and the one person in Wonderland who should want her dead was standing over her.

Dark eyes followed the hero a moment, watching as he seemed to contemplate what to do. Her lips parted, with nothing more than a raspy noise coming through.

And then, he turned his back, and left her there.

'_Of course. If they don't see me die, it's not their fault._' Her mind muttered as her vision once again began to blur, a sickening nausea overwhelming her senses. '_But I __**won't**__ die, White Knight. I saved your life, now my debt is repaid._'

Finally, it turned black.


End file.
